Research seminar information
Time: Friday, 31.10.2025, 13:00-14:00 (UTC +2 / Helsinki time)
Place: Online seminar,
Why Europe?
Why is the EU a European Union? Why are states that are not European automatically rejected from acceding to the Union (as Morocco was in 1987)? The question has been surprisingly overlooked. And yet it stands at the very core of Europe’s self-understanding. We standardly believe that domestic, public-facing associations (e.g., universities) that exclude would-be members on the basis of race, for example, fall afoul of anti-discrimination norms. But how is the European-only exclusion rule any different? The history of ‘Europe’ as an idea — an idea that was used first to bound Christendom (against Islam), then, in the Enlightenment, civilization (against barbarism), and, closely related, the white race (from other races) — brings this question into much sharper focus. My paper will seek to answer it, and, in the process, to query how ‘Europe’ as a project may be justified. I will conclude with a provocation: Why not abandon the European-only exclusion rule? What are the implications for our understanding of the grounds of solidarity among members of the Union?
About the speaker
Andrea Sangiovanni is Professor of Philosophy at King’s College London. His main areas of research are in contemporary moral, legal, and political philosophy. He received his BA and PhD from Harvard University. Before joining the Philosophy Department at KCL (in 2007), he was a Randall Dillard Research Fellow at Pembroke College, University of Cambridge (2005-2007). From 2018-2020, he was Professor of Social and Political Theory at the European University Institute, Fiesole. He is currently working on an ERC-funded project (Consolidator Grant, 2018-2024) on solidarity in Europe. He is the author of Solidarity: Nature, Grounds, and Value (Manchester University Press, 2024, available OpenAccess), which includes five critical essays by Catherine Lu, Sally Scholz, Rainer Forst, Avery Kolers, and Jared Holley, and
About the seminar series
The Autumn 2025 Research Seminar Series by the Centre of Excellence in Law, Identity and the European Narratives at the University of Helsinki continues the spring series in exploring the concept of "the Other" in relation to Europe. Seminars examine the historical, cultural, economic, and political dynamics that have shaped European identity and its relationship with those perceived as outsiders. Delving into the notion of "Europe and its Others," the speakers include scholars, activists, and policymakers discussing how Europe has defined itself through contrasts with non-European cultures and ideologies as well as the "Others" within Europe.
The invited speakers in the series will explore how non-European regions have often reacted critically to Europe’s self-understanding as a bastion of democracy, rule of law and human rights. Through colonial legacies, economic inequalities, and political tensions, many regions have challenged Europe’s moral authority, bringing into question its universal claims of fairness and governance. The Research Seminar Series aims to challenge existing narratives, fostering dialogue on inclusion, exclusion, and the evolving understanding of belonging in a globalized world.